


What is Past is Prologue.

by butterflycollective



Category: Good Wife (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-04-17
Updated: 2012-04-17
Packaged: 2017-11-03 20:01:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/385375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflycollective/pseuds/butterflycollective
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The gang at the law firm is tackling a case involving a woman charged with assaulting a guard while in jail but what secrets are waiting to be revealed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Alicia woke up at the morning believing that she would find her husband lying next to her in the bed in their old home at Highland Park. Her children Zach and Grace would be up and about, getting ready to go to their prep schools.

That's what she had been dreaming about only it hadn't seemed like a dream. It had seemed real, the intricate details of the furniture in her bedroom, the sounds of the neighborhood waking up outside her window and the scents of coffee of the lavender sachet hanging in her walk in closet.

But when she opened her eyes and looked around in the darkness, she saw her cramped room in the apartment that she had rented after her husband had gone to prison. She had remained there when he'd been released on appeal, won his appeal and then spent time living there while under house arrest. He had been kicked out when she'd discovered he slept with her close friend Kalinda a couple of years earlier.

She hadn't really known Kalinda at the time but the revelation casually dropped by an investigator on the night of his reelection to the State Attorney's office had ripped their friendship apart anyway. Over time, she had forgiven Kalinda and she had forgiven her husband. In fact, the night he had announced his plans to run for the governor's seat, she had stood beside him, the good wife.

The wiser wife, but still she had supported his candidacy without reservation. Even after all the investigations he had launched against her law firm, she had still decided to support him.

It had hurt Will, the decision she had made but she had thought about all her options and she made the decision she did, not on impulse but to preserve her family.

The phone rang interrupting her thoughts. She glanced at the caller id and saw Will's name on it. Damn, she sat up on her bed in the darkness and called him.

"Hey Alicia…glad I caught you…did I get you up too early?"

The sun had risen enough to send pale streams of light through the curtains. She saw the first splashes of it bounce against a wall.

"No…I'm good…I couldn't sleep much after the news conference."

Silence met her and she knew she said the wrong thing but he must know that whenever her husband stood there with his consultant Eli Gold to update his campaign, she had to be there with him looking like the supportive wife and mother of his two children. At least they'd gotten that part right. Mike Kresteva had issued his own press conference to try to paint her in a negative light even more than he had after that conversation she had with him in the office.

The one where he'd lied in her face and told her she'd simply misunderstood or failed to correctly remember what had happened. That's when she realized what kind of snake he really had proven to be and that's when she had made that decision to support her husband.

Whether Will had a problem with it or not. His tone had appeared conversational with her so far.

"You looked composed up there Alicia."

He couldn't say that she looked good, or that he liked how she looked up there next to her husband.

"I felt composed Will. After all I've done this before."

A pause, then a sigh from him.

"I hope it works out better this time Alicia."

She took a deep breath feeling as she was already treading on dangerous waters with him. But she tried to keep it light.

"So what's this about Will is it work?"

"Yeah…the case that Matan Brody's handling for Cary is on the docket on Monday," he said, "I thought I'd put in some hours today doing some research on it."

"What about Cary? After all he has some background in it."

Will sighed.

"He's second chair…and he was willing to take that spot," Will said, "But we might need your help on some brief writing."

Alicia rolled her eyes. That type of work was best left to junior associates not those past their third year…but she might have some time today before she had to meet with Eli and Peter to discuss an appearance at a charity dinner. She'd gotten sucked into it

"So what's the case about?"

"It's Roxie Cavanaugh, the woman who beat up the guard in lockup while being held at the jail over the weekend after a DUI."

Alicia frowned.

"Wasn't she a paralegal at Stern's firm?"

"She was thinking about being a lawyer," Will said, "But this incident…this battery of an officer case…it could really mess things up for her."

Alicia knew that it would be harder for Roxie to get into a law school and even become a lawyer if she had a criminal record of a violent assault.

"She talk to any legal yet?"

"A PD was at her arraignment," he said, "Donna Seabrook, got her released on bail which someone paid off but she wants a private attorney to fight her case."

Alicia could understand why. Most PDs were so overworked that they pushed even pressured their clients to take plea bargains early on so they could clear their extensive caseloads. But wait a minute, wasn't Donna…

"Kalinda's ex…right?"

Will cleared his throat.

"Yes…her…another example of collateral damage left in her wake."

"Will…that sounds a bit harsh don't you think…?"

"Probably but she breaks hearts…"

Yeah Alicia knew that to be true but she had just started mending her friendship with Kalinda again after the deep freeze, despite how upset she'd been to hear about her one night stand with Peter she had missed her friend.

She sensed that Kalinda felt the same way but it wasn't always easy to read her.

"She didn't break yours did she Will?"

A nervous laugh.

"Of course not…I'm not a woman…"

Alicia didn't think it necessarily mattered. Kalinda seemed to still have a bit of mystery to her when it came to relationships.

"So will you drop on by the office," he asked, "Cary said he'd be there and Kalinda said she'd get the information from Donna but I'm not sure how she'll do that. They didn't part on the best of terms."

Alicia didn't think that mattered much either.

"She'll get the information we need," she said, "but we need more on this guard. Did you call the lockup?"

"They haven't given out any information on his history," Will said, "Said it's all confidential."

Alicia knew that's what the jail would say but it was still early enough in the case to get enough information to figure out how to launch the first offence.

Because as the saying went, the best defense was the perfect offense.

* * *

Diane got the phone call from Will that the defensive team was working on strategy for the Cavanaugh case. She'd heard bits and pieces about it from him but she'd agreed to bill it as one of the pro bonos. She didn't believe that Roxie had assaulted the guard in the jail unless there'd been a reason. She knew from experience how tough the guards were over female inmates and how often they tried to work an angle through their jobs either with drugs or sex with inmates.

Diane knew she'd start busting balls if there were any such abuses here. She knew that Roxie had been represented at the initial hearing to release her with bail. She would get a briefing from Will and Cary after the meeting and then make a decision on how to involve herself then. As for now, she had to go run some errands.

Kurt McVeigh had invited her to visit him in his cabin in Montana of all places and she had been thinking about it. She harbored strong almost animalistic feelings for him but they just were in two different places most of the time. But she did miss him still.

Her phone rung and she picked it up.

"Kalinda, what's going on?"

"Not much…how about you?"

Diane's mind worked because she knew with Kalinda it had always been about wanting something preferably for nothing or as little as she could get away with giving.

"You are heading to meet with the others?"

"Yeah…after I pick up the refreshments…"

"They foisted that on you this time?"

She heard an edge in Kalinda's voice.

"I volunteered to pick up some sandwiches from a deli does that surprise you?"

Yeah it did actually, Diane thought but her better judgment left her not saying it.

"No…not at all…I hope this meeting goes well. I understand Donna Seabrook handled the case initially."

Kalinda didn't pause at all.

"Yes she did…very well. Got her out on bail and as I understand it was posted."

"By who…?"

"I can't say…I don't know. I haven't checked with the bondsman."

"Kalinda…you shouldn't have to check."

Kalinda sighed, obviously wanting the phone call to end.

"Anything else you want to ask me before I head on down there?"

Diane didn't know where to start but she sighed instead.

"No…just that I think Donna must have recommended the firm to Roxie…which was very nice of her."

Kalinda didn't respond to that just clicked off the phone and continued on with whatever she must be doing. Diane thought her to be complicated but not as mysterious as people thought. When Cary had returned to the fold of the firm after his stint working the other side, she had expected some friction, between him and Will and him and Kalinda but everyone seemed to be working well together.

Though she wondered how long the détente would last until the first conflict erupted. No, she'd better enjoy the peace while it lasted because that probably wouldn't be much longer.

* * *

Kalinda picked up the sandwiches and headed back to her car looking around her carefully as she always did when out and about. She had a vigilant nature to her that not many understood or even tried to get which was fine with her. She didn't need that in her life people who took the time to figure her out just so they could say it. Like they had unraveled some deep dark mystery where there was none. She was just private in her life and kept it that way.

Better to let people believe that she used people only to get what she needed or wanted. Life was much less complicated that way.

Her phone rang.

"Hey Kalinda…"

Donna of course….she knew she would hear from her about the case.

"Yes I'm here," she said, "I'm on my way to meet with the legal team to discuss strategy in Roxie's case."

"Good…I'm glad she's in good hands," Donna said, "I'd handle it myself but I'm overwhelmed with cases and I've got six months of trials lined up already."

"Got it…Will's put Cary as second chair and Alicia's going to do the briefs."

"I thought she'd be busy on her husband's governor campaign now that he's got competition."

"Apparently not…she just didn't want to do the heavy lifting," Kalinda said, "Will's lead counsel and Cary's got that time in his cubicle as an ASA."

Donna chuckled.

"I didn't think he'd give that up," she said, "He seemed much happier there for a while."

For a while, Kalinda thought until he'd tarnished his performance and got demoted.

"He's back in his office and busy… and he'll do well on Roxie's defense."

Donna sighed.

"And what about you…are you going to help," she said, "Roxie needs your investigative skills and your willingness to…"

"To do what Donna…stretches the boundaries? Yes, I am working on it and I'll do what I have to do on the investigative side like I always do."

Donna paused.

"Yes…you were always better at your work than with relationships."

Kalinda bit her tongue wondering if their breakup would always be a sore spot with Donna. She just needed to get over it already and move on.

"I am choosing to focus on my work."

"I'll bet…you blur the lines between the two so much to get information…it made it much harder to relate to you."

Kalinda rolled her eyes not really wanting to hear about all this because it served no purpose. Their time together had simply run its course. They both were blameless for that yet Donna wanted to paint her as the villain.

But she had to get going, she had a meeting to catch and they had to figure out a plan to help Roxie. Not that it was much of a mystery of what had happened in that jail.

Because she knew Roxie.


	2. Chapter 2

Alicia got dressed to head down to the office and thought about calling Jackie to keep an eye on the kids but then remembered the two of them were no longer speaking. Grace had been fixing cereal and toast in the kitchen when Alicia went in to grab a cup of coffee and a bagel before heading on out.

"So you are going to work the whole day?"

Grace's matter of fact tone rankled at Alicia. Her daughter had gotten use to her absences even on the weekends. But she knew that Grace had band practice today now that she'd taken up the saxophone. She would be busy most of the day between that and hanging out with her friends mostly to talk about how uncool their parents acted. Zach had been more of a concern but he was out with his father on the campaign trail running errands and working on the phone bank. It'd be good for him to have more structure to his free time and learn responsibilities which would help him grow up and get him off the computer.

Zach had grumbled at first but this morning he'd taken off before she'd even awaken. He might be walking some of the precincts in the old neighborhood and likely would return home in time for dinner. His father rarely let him stay overnight because sometimes he had to travel as part of his campaigning. It was beginning to interfere with his job of States Attorney.

"Mom…we're out of orange juice."

Alicia sighed because she knew she should have gotten some at the store but she'd barely had time to get a shopping list together.

"I'll get some on my way home from work."

"Will you be there all day?"

Alicia sipped her coffee.

"Yeah…why," she said, "You need to be picked up afterward?"

Grace shook her head and Alicia saw her wearing a Grateful Dead tee-shirt. She wondered if she hung out with the Dead Heads when she wasn't looking. Ever since Kalinda had to rescue her from when she'd gone missing, Alicia had tried to keep a close eye on her daughter. So many bad things could have happened to her.

"I might go to the movies with Eve and Josie after practice."

"Have I met them?"

Grace shrugged and went to find her sweater.

"Maybe…I don't remember…"

Alicia sighed.

"Grace, that's not an answer."

Her daughter stared at her with piercing eyes.

"Mom…at the PTA meeting…when we were at the art exhibits."

Alicia thought back but she honestly couldn't remember back that far. Her life had been frantic lately what with all the intrigue at the firm, all the attempted takeovers and this conflict she had in her life involving both of the men in it.

"So what case are you working on?"

Alicia poured herself more coffee.

"A woman who is charged with assaulting a correctional deputy in jail and is facing prison."

"Did she do it?"

Alicia thought her daughter might just look interested in the answer to her question.

"I don't think so…I don't have enough information yet but it doesn't look like it."

Grace nodded, clearly processing it while rinsing her dish in the sink and putting it on the rack.

"I gotta go…Josie's mom is picking me up outside in a few minutes."

Alicia kissed her daughter goodbye and then went to get her briefcase to take with her to work. She saw a message from Peter on her phone but decided it could wait.

She was running late as it was and she already had some suggestions of how to handle this case. Roxie was out on bail so that was a lot of the battle done but how to handle the case itself? She asked herself as she headed down the elevator to her car.

Will arrived at the office building and walked inside it. It was mostly deserted because they were ahead on billable hours so everyone had taken off for the weekend. Will had planned to go on another road trip in his new convertible until he'd gotten the call. He'd left his suitcase half packed and had just spent part of the night doing some basic research on his laptop.

He'd skipped going to the gym and hitting the treadmill hard before hitting the court for another basketball game. He had been shocked when Kalinda said she would hit the deli on the way over for some sandwiches. They had plenty of bottled water and other beverages at the office.

Cary had been sleepy when he had been called but had recovered quickly enough. He didn't mess spending his weekends at the State Attorney's office prepping for prelims and trials and he had always enjoyed keeping his nose to the grindstone at Lockhart and Gardner. Will knew he thrived on his new workload and enjoyed his bigger office.

There had been some friction between the two of them but that couldn't be helped. Not after what Peter had ordered Cary to do during his vendetta against the firm that employed his wife. Alicia had been naughty when she'd strayed away from standing by her man, in this case her no-good husband Peter.

Will never thought that Peter deserved Alicia, not after the way he had treated her by getting involved in a sex scandal and corruption cases. Will still wasn't convinced that Peter had been entirely innocent of the charges against him. Somehow with the right team of sharp lawyers and consultants, he had squeaked out of his criminal case and gotten reelected into office by the gullible voting population of people who somehow felt that corruption was so interwoven in the fabric it could be forgiven.

But not Will, even though he'd gotten a taste of what it was like to be charged. Still he had been mostly innocent.

"Hey how long is this going to go?"

Will looked up and saw Cary dressed pretty casually and carrying his legal satchel. Cary set it down on the conference table and then went to pour himself some juice. He looked like he had worked out that morning and seemed pretty relaxed.

"Most of the day…you got plans."

Cary just smiled at him.

"Not until five…then I got a date."

Will pondered that news.

"Anyone I know?"

Cary went to sit down at the table ready to get to work.

"Someone who hasn't been out with Kalinda…"

Will nodded, joining Cary at the table to get started while waiting for the others to arrive.

"Someone straight then for a change…?"

Cary didn't seem bothered by Will's choice of humor but pulled a file out of his satchel and grabbed his highlighter, all business.

"So can we get started?"

Will nodded.

"Alicia's on her way here," he said, "We might hear from Diane herself later this afternoon and Kalinda's out doing what Kalinda does."

"Donna was one of her…friends."

Will shot Cary a look wondering if he really believed that but saw that he didn't.

"They ran together for a while…Donna's a PD with a heavy caseload and the Cavanaugh case is going to need a lot of attention."

Cary skimmed through his file with his highlighter.

"So Roxie beat up a deputy in the jail?"

Will shot Cary another look for his rather cynical read on the case…but then the guy had been working for the other side for nearly a year.

"That's what the report will say," Will said, "but Donna said there's a whole other story here."

"I'll bet…but if she assaulted a deputy while in jail I don't know what we can do except get her a sweetheart deal from whoever's prosecuting."

"That would be your pal Brody handling the case since you left."

Cary remained silent for a moment.

"Brody's not my pal."

No, Will supposed Brody wouldn't be after the stunts that he had pulled as part of the various vendettas coming out of the state attorney's office targeting the firm. The former head prosecutor hated it because Peter's wife worked there. The current one hated it because his wife worked there. If Peter hadn't been distracted by the governor's race, half of the law firm might be in jail on contempt charges or under investigation for some trumped up nonsense.

But Peter had backed off for now because he had new enemies out to get him during this phase of his political career. The guy must be so addicted to power and what it promised because he kept running for office…when he wasn't serving time in prison of course.

"So when do we hear from Kalinda?"

Will looked at the younger man imagining what kind of hell it must be to have the enigmatic investigator on the brain especially since she swung both ways.

"She's out doing some information gathering so we'll hear from her when we hear from her."

Cary went back to his notes. Will looked up and saw Alicia breeze on in with her work materials on the case. She looked at the men.

"Where's Roxie?"

Cary and Will looked at each other.

"She supposed to be here," Cary asked, "because she hasn't shown up."

Alicia looked at Will.

"Did you get the police reports?"

He sighed.

"Not yet but Diane said that Donna told her about the case and you know Diane doesn't think Roxie did it."

Alicia went to pour herself some juice.

"Didn't they have surveillance cameras?"

Will looked through his own papers.

"Apparently not covering the whole jail facility…no, a lot didn't show up on film."

Cary nodded.

"Right but were there any witnesses?"

Will shook his head.

"I don't know…haven't gotten all the reports yet. The prosecutor is holding out on us, no surprise there."

Cary clenched his jaw looking up.

"They're just doing their jobs," he said, "She could have done it you know. She could have attacked the deputy."

Alicia looked straight at him.

"Anything on the guard's background…?"

Cary sighed.

"You know there's going to be prohibitions in place against getting too much information on him."

Alicia did know that but she knew there were ways to find out if he had a background of any type of misconduct including excessive force. She had a feeling there was something about this particular deputy…

"She might have had a record."

Alicia shot a look at Cary.

"That might be relevant if it's true and it might not be."

Cary just shook his head jotting some more notes on a pad.

"Hopefully Kalinda can find out what we need to know…"

Kalinda had bought the sandwiches from the deli and packed them in her car before heading to the office. She'd canvassed the neighborhood around wondering if anyone in any of the businesses had witnessed the initial DUI involving Roxie that led to her arrest. Not much luck so far because most of the businesses had locked up for the night leaving them empty.

She'd return to hit the other side of the street further down but she had to get to the office for the meeting. Looking at her watch, she realized she'd missed most of it but that had been on purpose. She was too busy to sit in the conference room for some meeting which wouldn't do much to help with this case.

Roxie wouldn't be there, Kalinda knew that because she couldn't relate to a group of white bread straight attorneys questioning her about what really happened. Not that she could blame her for that but if she kept her distance, then she'd probably be going to prison.

Not where she belonged because her time in jail had shown that. Whatever happened to her Kalinda didn't believe she instigated it. If only she could get the guard's name but that was proving to be elusive so far. She knew that often in criminal cases, the name of the involved employee wasn't released but this was getting ridiculous.

She'd have to do more research in the human resources department even after getting the deputy's name.

But for now, she had to head back to the office, back to Will, Alicia and of course Cary. She wasn't looking forward to sitting with any of them. Maybe she should just skip it and do further canvassing on her own. If she did that she knew they'd just scold her at the office especially Cary. Right before he reminded her that he didn't trust her. Yeah well, whatever. She had a job to do and she couldn't deal with men and their issues including with her.

She'd do her thing, get more information and then go to the office when she was good and ready. She didn't see the car tailing her as she walked down the street back to her car.


End file.
